Elopement in The Bahamas/Caribbean

[yetanotherfaery 2]

Did anyone here marry their spouse in The Bahamas or somewhere in the Caribbean? I'm looking for personal experiences with getting married there as non-citizens.

[Marieke H 2,517]

Here is some basic information about tourists getting married in the Bahamas: https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/public/Visiting The Bahamas/Getting Married in The Bahamas.

 

But... I know you probably don't want to hear this, but because you mentioned in your previous post that you have small children, I want this to be said. Please slow down. You have never met this man in person, have you? Spend time with him in the Bahamas. Get to know him in person. Give your children a chance to spend time with him in person and see how he interacts with them. And then decide if marriage is right for you.

[pushbrk 12,968]

What country issued his passport.  You must understand that if he cannot get a visa to visit the USA, then he cannot take a connecting flight to the Bahamas, that lands in the USA first either.  I expect there ARE flights to the Bahamas that go through other countries first, but you need to be aware of that in your planning.  What country he's from makes a big difference on how much evidence of relationship you'll need to be successful.  Generally, a single meeting and getting married on the same meeting, can be a big red flag.  How long would you be together in person?  Everything matters.  You asked about waiving meeting in person at all.  That won't work, but the king of relationship evidence or the devil that kills things, is in how much time you spend together in person.

[yetanotherfaery 2]

23 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

What country issued his passport.  You must understand that if he cannot get a visa to visit the USA, then he cannot take a connecting flight to the Bahamas, that lands in the USA first either.  I expect there ARE flights to the Bahamas that go through other countries first, but you need to be aware of that in your planning.  What country he's from makes a big difference on how much evidence of relationship you'll need to be successful.  Generally, a single meeting and getting married on the same meeting, can be a big red flag.  How long would you be together in person?  Everything matters.  You asked about waiving meeting in person at all.  That won't work, but the king of relationship evidence or the devil that kills things, is in how much time you spend together in person.

 

Turkey. He wouldn't be able to do a layover in the US, what about other countries? Surely there has to be a way for him to fly there from Turkey without getting visas in other countries?

Edited October 16 by yetanotherfaery

[appleblossom 2,681]

4 minutes ago, yetanotherfaery said:

 

Turkey. He wouldn't be able to do a layover in the US, what about other countries? Surely there has to be a way for him to fly there from Turkey without getting visas in other countries?

 

Just to confirm, you're planning on a few visits together before one to get married?

 

He can fly from other places, there are direct flights to the Caribbean from the UK or various European countries. 

[pushbrk 12,968]

6 minutes ago, yetanotherfaery said:

 

Turkey. He wouldn't be able to do a layover in the US, what about other countries? Surely there has to be a way for him to fly there from Turkey without getting visas in other countries?

There may be a way, but there does not have to be.  First Google the countries a Turkish Citizen can travel to without a visa, then use a travel website to search for tickets to Bahamas that pass through one of those countries.  Bahamas is so close to the USA, that most trans Atlantic flights will arrive in the USA.  Maybe through South America.  

 

Start here.  https://visaguide.world/visa-free-countries/turkish-passport/

 

Edited October 16 by pushbrk

[yetanotherfaery 2]

12 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

There may be a way, but there does not have to be.  First Google the countries a Turkish Citizen can travel to without a visa, then use a travel website to search for tickets to Bahamas that pass through one of those countries.  Bahamas is so close to the USA, that most trans Atlantic flights will arrive in the USA.  Maybe through South America.  

 

Start here.  https://visaguide.world/visa-free-countries/turkish-passport/

 

Thank you. Can you recommend a website for searching flights and being able to select which country to layover in? It seems like most of them auto-select for me.

[yetanotherfaery 2]

18 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

There may be a way, but there does not have to be.  First Google the countries a Turkish Citizen can travel to without a visa, then use a travel website to search for tickets to Bahamas that pass through one of those countries.  Bahamas is so close to the USA, that most trans Atlantic flights will arrive in the USA.  Maybe through South America.  

 

Start here.  https://visaguide.world/visa-free-countries/turkish-passport/

 

I did some research and found Canada as an option to connect through, but it says he would need a transit visa. Do you know if those are typically difficult to obtain?

[pushbrk 12,968]

1 minute ago, yetanotherfaery said:

I did some research and found Canada as an option to connect through, but it says he would need a transit visa. Do you know if those are typically difficult to obtain?

Yes, just about as difficult as the USA.

 

[pushbrk 12,968]

2 minutes ago, yetanotherfaery said:

I did some research and found Canada as an option to connect through, but it says he would need a transit visa. Do you know if those are typically difficult to obtain?

I don't know one that allows selecting the connections as part of the search.  Typically the options are listed by price, so scroll down.  Another option is two tickets.  Find a ticket to the transit country after finding a ticket from that country to Bahamas.

[yetanotherfaery 2]

@pushbrk Forgive me but I'm not familiar with the difficulty for a transit visa in the US, either. I also checked and UK is an option, it states another transit visa might be required. 

Thank you, I'll try that method of doing separate flights.

Edited October 16 by yetanotherfaery

[yetanotherfaery 2]

16 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Yes, just about as difficult as the USA.

 

Did some more research and it seems like the US transit visa is equally of a headache as Canada, UK, etc. So, it'd be easiest to apply for that one. Are these typically difficult to get or something? You'd think that merely passing through is normal operations. 

[yetanotherfaery 2]

2 hours ago, pushbrk said:

I don't know one that allows selecting the connections as part of the search.  Typically the options are listed by price, so scroll down.  Another option is two tickets.  Find a ticket to the transit country after finding a ticket from that country to Bahamas.

I was able to find Istanbul -> Panama nonstop and then Panama -> Nassau nonstop! Thank you so much for your help.

[pushbrk 12,968]

20 minutes ago, yetanotherfaery said:

I was able to find Istanbul -> Panama nonstop and then Panama -> Nassau nonstop! Thank you so much for your help.

So you've solved the easy part, travel arrangements.  You seem to be focused on minimum requirements, to start the process.  Now is the time to do your homework on red flags and what constitutes enough relationship evidence to have chance of actually being together in the USA.  Start by understanding no officials care on little bit how difficult this might be for you to do the one thing that makes the difference.  (To spend significant time together in person)

[Boiler 45,657]

https://www.flightsfrom.com/IST

 

This seems fairly comprehensive.

 

I have been to Turkey a few times and would recommend it.